Alarm



P 1932- J. K. GRONDAHL I 1,879,202

ALARM Filed March 6, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Jhfif/rarz (lull/ MWQWZ.

ATTORNEY WITNESS P 1932- J. K. GRONDAHL 1,879,202

'ALARM Fil ed March 6, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 1. l6". (7rd "(Ia/1i,

ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 27, 1932 UNITED STATES JENS K. GROND'AHL, 01' RED WING, MINNESOTA ALARM:

Application filed March 6, 1931. Serial No. 520,652.

This invention relates to a device for giving warnings of unusual conditions happening in a building.

An object of the invention is the provision of a device which is adapted to be associated with a telephone located in a room in a building for giving a warning to the operator of the phone company that some unusual condition has taken place in the building, the device including means which will close the circuit of the telephone receiver and maintain it closed when either the telephone is in the neighborhood of a fire or where an occupant of the room operates the device to give warning to the telephone operator of possibly a robbery or some serious ofi'ense being committed.

A further object of the invention is the provision of 'a device connected with a telephone receiver for closing the circuit so that When the operator of the telephone company responds to such closure of the circuit, and receiving no response, will notify the proper parties that some unusual occurrence has happened in the building Where the telephone is located, the circuit being closed by switches in an auxiliary circuit which also includes an alarm, the switches being closed by a device responsive to temperature changes and located in different parts of the building so that if any part of the building catches fire the increase in temperature will cause the thermostatic device to close the circuit.

This invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description, in view of the accompanying drawings forming a part of the specification; nevertheless it is to be understood that the invention is not confined to the disclosure, being susceptible of such changes and modifications which shall define no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

Figure 1 is a view in elevation, parts being broken away, showing my invention applied to a telephone receiver;

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section, taken on the line 22 of Figure 1; I

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical section, taken on the line 55 of Figure 9, showing the device maintaining the circuit in open position;

Figure 6 is a similar section, showing the circuit closed by an auxiliarydevice;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary horizontal section of the maintaining means;

Figure 8 is a View in perspective of a lever for independently closing the telephone circuit;

Figure 9 is a horizontal section, taken along the line 99 of Figure t; and

Figure 10 shows more or less diagrammatically a device for. closing the circuit of a telephone, the device being located remotely from the phone.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, designates a back plate of a telephone receiver, which is adapted to be applied to the wall of a building and from which projects a receiver hook 21 for supporting an ear piece 22, the ear piece being of suflicient weight to retain the lever in its lowermost position for maintaining the telephone circuit in open position as will be presently explained. Pivotally mounted at 23 is a housing or cover 24.

The member 21 is pivoted at 25 on a plate 26 carried by the back 20 and has a bell crank arm 27 connected with a resilient leaf 28 by means of a lever 29.

The device generally shown at 30 is commonly known as a jack switch. A pair of leaves 31 and 32 are insulated from each other and from the leaf 28 by means of insulating blocks 33 and 34 which are secured to the member 26. The free ends of the leaves 31 and 32 are maintained in spaced apart relation when the telephone circuit is open and the free end of the member 21 is spaced from the leaf 28. When the receiver 22 is removed from the hook, a spring member 35 is secured to the member 26 and has its free end in engagement with the bottom edge of the lever 21 to force said lever upwardly and cause the spring leaf 28, through the link 29, tobe moved into engagement with the free end of the spring member 21. Continued movement however of the leaf 28 causes the leaf 31 also to engage the free end of the leaf 32.

Since the wire connections between the receiver 22, the leaves 28, 31 and 32 of the jack switch and the various parts of the elements in the telephone receiver are of no importance to'the understanding of the invention, such connections have not been shown nor described.

A rod 40 is slidably mounted in bearings 41 and 42 carried by the cover plate or housing 24. A disk 43 is secured to the rod intermediate its ends and engages a collar 44 formed integrally with or secured to the rod. A coil spring 45 embraces one end of the rod and engages the disk 43 andone wall of the housing 24 so that the spring will tend to move the rod 40 in a direction toward the leaf spring 32. This rod is maintained against movement by means of a ring 46 engaged within a groove 47 in the outer projecting end of the rod 40. The ring is formed of a soft metal and which may be fusible so that the ring may be melted when suflicient heat is applied to it or it may be released from the groove 47 when suflicient pressure is applied to the outer projecting end of the rod. As soon as the ring is released however, the spring 45 will force the rod 40 inwardly and cause the free ends of the leaves 31 and 32 to engage each other and the free end of the leaf 31 to engage the leaf 28, thereby closing the circuit of the telephone receiver. When this is done, the proper signal at the tele- 'phone branch will be received by the operator 40' who will call for information, and not receiving it, will suspect some unusual happening has occurred to cause closing of the circuit and such operator will notify the proper parties to investigate.

,likewise be closed by some one accidentally,

Thecircuit of the telephone receiver may causing the removal of the ear piece 22 so that the lever 21 will be elevated. In order to indicate however to the telephone operator that the closing of the circuit was not merely accidental, I have provided an alarm which will create suflicient noise to indicate to the operator that the special alarm which-has been provided and when in operation, will cause the operator to take the necessary steps to have an investigation made of the'building in which the telephone is located.

A special alarm is contained within a casing 50, which is secured to the cover plate or housing 24 and has a projecting arm which operates as a brake to maintain the signal against operation when the rod40 is in its normal inoperative positlon. The casing contains a clock mechanism (not shown) which will be caused to be operated when the arm 51 is released. This arm is held in anoperative position by the disk 43 which is in engagement with the arm when the rod 40 is retained in its normal position. However when the ring 46 is forced away .from the determine that some unusual happening has occurred in the building where the telephone is located.

In Figures 4 to 9 inclusive is shown a modified form of the invention but which is an adaptation of the inventive thought to a desk telephone.

In this instance, the telephone receiver is provided with a base member having a standard 61 rising therefrom in which are mounted a link 61 and an arm 62 of a bell crank lever 63. The other arm of the bell crank lever isshown at 64 formed into a hook or yoke to receive the usual ear piece 65, which by its weight maintains the hook 64 in a normally horizontal position and the circuit of the telephone receiver open.

A spring member 66is pivotally connected at 67 with the link 61 so that when the ear piece is removed from the hook 64, it will cause the link to operate the arm 62 of the bell crank lever 63 andmovetheyoke upwardly and cause closing of the circuit of the telephone receiver by forcing the free end of the leaves 68 and 69 together. At this time the spring leaf 66 also engages the leaf 68. It will be noted that the leaf 69 is located between an insulating block 70 and an insulating block 71, while an insulated block 72 is located between the leaves 66 and 68. These insulating blocks are secured in rigid position by means of screws 73. It will be seen that by this construction as long as the ear piece 65 is maintained upon the hook 64 that "the leaves 66, 68 and 69 will be maintained in spaced apart relation. However when the ear piece 65 is removed the spring 66 will move inwardly, engage the free end of leaf 68, and cause said free end to engage the free end of leaf 69..

A bracket or lug 75 projects downwardly from a plate 76 which is secured to a metal disk 77. A lever 77 is pivotally mounted at 79 on the bracket or lug 75. A spring 80 receives at one end a lug 81 formed on the lever 78. The other end of the spring is secured to a projection 82 formed integral with the plate 76. A spring 80 tends at all times to move the lever 78 downwardly for a purpose which will be presently explained.

A coil spring 83 mounted upon the pivot 79 for the lever 78, has one end in engagement with the lever 7 9, while the other end engages a nut 84 for forcing the lever 78 towards and above the leaf 69.

A cam member 85 projects laterally from the lever 78 and is adapted to engage the leaf 69 and force it into engagement with the leaf 68 while forcing the free end of the leaf 68 into engagement with the leaf 66, thereby closing the circuit to the telephone receiver while the ear piece 65 is carried by the yoke or hook 64.

The free end of the lever 78 is maintained in an inoperative position with respect to the lever 69 by means of a lug 86 which engages the lower straight edge '87 of the lever 78. When the lever 78 is engaged beneath the lug 86, the cam member 85 is maintained out of close association with the lever 69. a

A rod 90 is slidably mounted in a bearing 91 formed in the side wall of the base member 60. This rod extends through an elongated slot 92 formed in a depending bracket 93 which in turn is integrally connected with the plate 76. The inner end of the rod 90 is provided with a head 91 which engages the inner face of the lever 78 after the rod has passed throu h the perforations 95 formed in the lever 78.

\ A ring 97 is formed of a soft metal which may be readily melted at a predetermined temperature or which may be readily broken a by pressure upon the outer projecting end of the rod 90 for releasing the ring from a groove 98 formed in'the outer projecting end of said rod. T h s ring bears against a shoulder 99 of the bearing 91 and normally retains the rod against movementn A clock mechan sm is located within the casing 100 secured to the plate 7 6. A winding key 101 projects through the casing and is adapted to be employed for the purpose of winding the clock mechan sm located within the casing 100. An arm 102 projects from the casing 100 and is retained in position by means of the lever 78 so that said arm will act as a brake to prevent operation of the clock mechanism in the clock casing 100.

The operation of the device shown in Figures 4 to 9 inclusive is as follows: When the ear piece 65 is supported by the hook 64 it will retain the leaves 66, 68'and 69 in a normally spaced relationthereby, retaining the telephone circuit open. If, on the other hand, the ear piece 65 is removed from the hook 64 the spring member 66 will force the leaves 68 and 69 into engagement with each other and close the circuit so that the telephone operator will respond to this signal indicated upon her switchboard. If the building or-room in'which the telephone receiver is located should catch fire, the heat would be sufiicient to cause melting of the ring 97 to release the rod 90 so that the spring 83 will force the lever 78 from engagement with the lug 86 while the spring will force the lever 7 8 downwardly causing the cam member to engage the leaf 69, whereby said leaf will engage the leaf 60 and move said leaves into engagement with each other while the leaf 68 will engage the leaf 66 thus the circuit to the nism in the casing 100 to come into action to give an audible signal, when the telephone operator answers the apparent call from'the receiver, and receives no response from the party, said operator however will hear the audible signal in the casing 100. The operator will then get in touch with the proper parties to indicate that some unusual condi tion has happened in the building where the telephone receiver is located;

In case of burglary, where the party would not be permitted to-use the telephone receiver, the free end of the rod may be forced inwardly to release the soft metal ring 67 and thereby close the telephone circuit so that in any event the telephone operator receiving no response from the call and hearing the alarm in the casing 100 will thus notify the proper parties for an investigation.

In Figure 10 is illustrated diagrammatically an arrangement for applying thermostats to various parts of the building together with switches for closing the circuit so that if a fire should break out in one part of the building, a signal would be received by the telephone operator at that point in the building where the fire started. For convenience however I have shown but one thermostatically controlled switch but it will be appreciated that any number of the thermostatically controlled switches may be added to the arrangement.

An alarm. is shown at 120 which is operated by a clock mechanism (not shown) and which is maintained against operation by means of a brake 12] ii-the form of a rod,

which is slidably mounted bearings 122- in the casing of the alarm. A spring 123 maintains the rod 121 in engagement with the wall 124 of the clock mechanism and maintaining the clock mechanism against operation. The rod is connected with an armature 125, which is actuated by a magnet, generally indicated by the numeral 126.

A switch of the telephone is generally designated by the numeral 127 and consists of three spring leaves 128, 129 and 130 as shown more particularly in Figures 1 and 4. The leaf 130 is connected by a wire 131 to a binding post 132 anda wire 133 leads to the proper connection of the telephone receiver as do wires 134 and 135. The wire 134 is connectedby a binding post 136 which in turn is connected by a wire 137 with the mouth piece, generally indicated at 138. A wire 139 con- A wire 147 is connected with the magnet 126 by the wire 148 which connects said magnet with the leaf 144. A wire 149 connects the leaf 144 with the binding post 132 and such leaf and connections correspond with the leaf I 130 and its connection. The leaf 146 is connected by means of a wire 150 to one binding post of the mouth piece 138. A wire 151 connects the leaf 146 to the binding post '141 in the same manner as does the wire14O with respect to the leaf 128.

When a fire has been started in any part of the building and the same reaches the neighborhood of the thermostat 143, said thermostat will become active for closing the switch 142 thereby energizing the magnet 126 which operates the armature 125 to release the arm 121 from the leaf 124, thereby setting the alarm 120 in motion. At the same time however the closing of the switch 142 closes the circuit to the telephone receiver so that the operator in responding to the signal indicated upon her switchboard and receiving no response will recognize that something unusual has occurred in the building, and particularly in view of the fact that the audible alarm can be heard through the receiver. In view of this, the operator will notify the proper authorities to investigate the conditions in the building.

I claim:

1. In a telephone receiver, a switch for controlling the circuit of the receiver, an

ear piece, means for supporting the ear piece and for retaining the switch open, means for moving the supporting means for closing the switch when the ear piece is removed from the supporting means, means for moving the switch to closed position independently oflthe first mentioned closing means while the ear piece retains the supporting means in an inoperative position.

2. In a telephone receiver, a switch for controlling the circuit of the receiver, an ear piece, means for supporting the ea piece and for retaining the switch open, mea s for moving the supporting means for closing the switch when the ear piece is removed from the supporting means, means in the receiver for moving the switch to closed position independently of the first mentioned closing means while the ear piece retains the supporting means in an inoperative position, an alarm associated with the receiver, and means releasable by the last mentioned closing means for setting the alarm in operation.

3. In a telephone receiver, a switch for controlling the circuit of the receiver, an ear piece, means for supporting the ear piece and for retaining the switch open, means for actuating the supporting means for closing the switch when the ear piece is removed from the supporting means, a slidably mounted rod carried by the receiver and associated with the switch for closing the switch independently of the .first mentioned means, means tending to move the rod to actuate said switch, means releasably retaining the rod against movement.

4. In a telephone receiver, a switch for controlling the circuit of the receiver, an ear piece, means for supporting the ear piece and for retaining the switch open, means for actuating the supporting means for closing the switch when the ear piece is removed from the supporting means, a slidably mounted rod carried by the receiver and associated with the switch for closing the switch independently of the first mentioned means, means tending to move the rod to actuate said switch, a soft fusible means carried by the rod and engaging a fixed part in the receiver for releasably retaining said rod against movement.

5. In a telephone receiver, a switch for controlling the circuit of the receiver, an ear piece, means for supporting the ear piece and for retaining the switch open, means for actuating the supporting means for closing the switch when the ear piece is removed from the supporting means, a slidably mounted rod carried by the receiver and associated with the switch for closing the switch independently of the first mentioned means, means tending to move the rod to actuate said switch, said rod being provided with a groove, a fusible metal member seated in the groove and engaging a fixed part of the receiver for releasably retaining the rod against movement.

K. GRONDAHL.

JENS 

